Violet Hill Group

Horrible. I found a great duplex in a prime location at a decent price, so I signed a year long lease. The lease was horribly restrictive, slanted completely on the side of the rental company and I even believe that portions of the lease are not even legal in the State of Oklahoma. One clause, specifically, was a deal breaker for me because it actually would have given the landlord the right to possession of all property owned by me inside and outside the premises (including my vehicle if it were parked in the garage) in the event that the landlord felt I was in breach of the agreement for any reason determined by the landlord. The property manager, John Day, attempted to assure me that the clause was "standard". To prove how "reasonable" it was, he informed me that he put the same clause in a lease that he had prepared for his church! While this statement did shed some light on John's character, it did not reassure me at all. In fact, it only reinforced my hunch that if he would be willing to cheat his church, he would be willing to cheat me. I should also mention that I have worked in the legal industry for 25 years and in that time I have never heard of such a clause. Needless to say, he deleted it from the lease before I signed it. In the course of a year, John gave my house key to an unreputable repairman without telling me. The repairman used the key to enter my home without telling me. Nothing was taken, but some property was damaged and I had to file a burglary report at John's urging. John also urged me to check the house to make sure no hidden cameras had been installed! I learned after the fact that the same thing had happened to my neighbor who rents the other 1/2 of the same duplex. Prior to signing the lease I was told it had a new HVAC unit--but it does not. In fact, the unit is old and in need of frequent repair. The last time it broke down, John tried to tell me that I was responsible for paying for a replacement unit. I spoke to legal counsel who said R3 Properties was in fact responsible. I had to send a demand letter before they would agree to pay for it and John eventually admitted in writing that his position had been wrong. Toward the end of the first 12 month lease I began looking to purchase a home and I asked John if I could go month-to-month on the lease for an extra month or two at an increased rental amount. His company would not agree to month-to-month but would only go to a 3 month lease at an increased rental amount. This decision cost me thousands of dollars in double rents after I purchased my home. Finally, six weeks before my move-out date I received a letter from John saying that he was giving me "reasonable notice" pursuant to the lease that he would be bringing people in to look at the rental unit before I moved out. I protested because there is no provision in the lease allowing him to do so. I again had to seek help from an attorney to keep John from bringing strangers into my home.